Proverbs 365 - May Review

June 1st, 2010

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I've now completed the fifth month of my Proverbs 365 project: taking a Proverb for each day of the year and then considering it and applying it for 21st Century living. Continuing my monthly tradition, I'm highlighting three of my personal favorites from the past month (and hopefully, in so doing, encourage some cross-over readership!):

One of the past month's entries was especially helpful for me in working out some of the thoughts that I've been having recently, upon observing political processes both in the Netherlands and in the United States.  Honestly, I think a lot of people need to be challenged by Proverbs 24:21, where it says, "Fear the LORD and the king, my son, and do not join with the rebellious, for those two will send sudden destruction upon them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?" If you've ever said that you "hate" Barack Obama, or George W. Bush, or Geert Wilders, or Job Cohen, I would challenge you to read some of my interaction with this challenging biblical text at P2421 - Reprimand of Rebellion...

On an entirely different note, my post from the 21st of May, P2122 - The Old-Timers Versus the Young Bucks, combines three of my favorite things:  basketball, "armchair sociology," and biblical wisdom.  The post is based on Proverbs 21:22, where it is written:  "A wise man attacks the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust." Since I don't have much experience in actual warfare -- I translated the concepts into the "warfare" of male egos, as demonstrated in countless YMCAs, recreation centers, and outdoor basketball courts around the world.  And honestly, it's pretty amazing how accurately pick-up basketball can illustrate the truth of this Proverb...

And thirdly, I might recommend a reading of P834 - Expectation, which attempts to illuminate Proverbs 8:34 from a more creative angle -- the story of an old man sitting in a diner and waiting for a mystery companion.  The Proverb itself says, "Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway." But instead of taking this at the figurative, symbolic level (talking about biblical wisdom), I tried working this out in a more literal sense.  What might it look like -- what might it feel like -- to be waiting at a doorway, watching daily for God's wisdom?  The result of this creative writing project helped me to get a better grasp on the Proverb; maybe it would be the same for you, too...

For a more comprehensive listing of May's content, here are the titles of all 31 entries, along with direct links to the rest of the content.

June promises to be another great month -- so check it out for yourself at http://proverbs365.ericasp.com.  Please feel free to spread the word, too... One of the distinct advantages of the Proverbs is that it's easy to tune into them, whenever one might so choose. It's not like if you missed the first five months, then you're "behind" or anything like that. The Proverbs are just like these little power pellets that can be consumed and digested immediately.  It's never too late to start enjoying them!

This entry is filed under God, The Bible, Reading the Bible, Proverbs 365.